Switch



E. T. PLATZ Nov. 23, 1943.

swmca Original Filed Aug. 2'7, 1942 0 VMTORNEY Patented Nov. 23, 1943 swrron Elwood 'r. Plats, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Bulldog Electric Products Company, Detroit, Mlcla, a corporation of West Virginia Original application August 27, 1942, Serial No.

456,305. Divided and this application Febru 6, 1943, Serial No. 474,929

1 Claim. (Cl. 200-116) This application relates to switches, and is a division of my prior application, Serial No. 456,305, filed August 27, 1942.

This application discloses a switch whose actuation is accomplished by means oi an actuator which is given exactly the same movements for all operations. The actuator is shown as a push button, pushed in manually and spring pressed outwardly when released. It might also be an armature or a solenoid of a magnet, etc., the fact that it is a reciprocator suggesting other operating means for the actuator.

The operative connection between the actuator and the contactor is such a form that successive identical manipulations of the actuator cause different results. Onamanipulation oi! the actuator may cause circuit opening. A successive manipulation, exactly the same as the first, may however, cause circuit closing. cause latch resetting in the event the switch has a releasable latch, as is true 01 the switches here shown.

The difference in result is obtained through the useoi a selector mechanism responsive to the condition oi the switch parts and determining the effect 01 actuator manipulation on the switch parts.

One form of such switch is here illustrated and will now be described upon reference to the appended drawing.

In the drawing,

Figs. 1-3 are three different positions views of that form of switch.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 01 Fig. 2. v

The drawing shows an embodiment employing push button operation for a switch having a contactor 2ll| latched at 2 by a bimetal strip 212, and having a contact end H3, and being biased upwardly by a compression spring 2.

A push button 230 mounted to slide in the easing is spring pressed outwardly by a spring 23! and is integral with a slotted link 232, pivotally connected at 233 to the contactor 2l0. Pivotally mounted on the link 232, at 234,.is a selector finger 235, adapted to cooperate with high and low stops 235 and 231 of a rocker 238, pivotally mounted on the casing by means of pivot 233, cleared by the slot 239a of link 232, such slot also insuring rectilinear movement of link 232 on pivot pin 239. Stops 235-231 are separated by a hump 24D, and also are at diflerent levels with respect to the stationary contact 24!. Stops 2lla, are also provided to determine positions of rocker 233.

In the position of the parts that is shown in A third may Fig. 2, the circuit is closed, with latch 2|: holding arm 2! at 2 as a pivot, and selector finger is on the left side of the selector hump 240 in high stop. 236.. When the push button 230 is pushed down, itslink 232 moved downwardly and selector finger 235 also moves downwardly, to leave/rocker 238 and to engage the left-hand one of the two stops 242. This rocks the selector finger to the center position. When the button is released, spring 23! will .move it and the selector finger upwardly and this will position the selector finger in low stop 231, leaving the contactor in the open circuit position, inasmuch as stop 23! is well below stop 236. Rocker 238willv have been rocked to the opposite one of'its two positions so that when the push button 230 is pushed down again, the parts will go through the reverse motion and come to rest with finger 235 in high stop 236. as now shown.

The two diflerent levels of stops 23623'l determine two different positions of the selector finger and, thus, two difierent positions of the contact M3 for open and closed circuit.

The foregoing is the manual switching action with the latch holding arm H0. The latch mechanism comprises a bl-metallic strip 2l2 which is secured at its upper end, but which is tree to move at its lower end. This strip normally extends in a flat vertical plane as shown in Fig. 2, but when the bi-metallic strip moves to the left, the arm 2H) is free to move upwardly. When the latch is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the arm 2l0 is held so as to pivot about the lowerend oi the strip 212. Thus it will be seen that oscillation of the lower end of the bi-metallic strip provides a latching mechanism for the arm 2).

On release of latch 2 l2 at 2| l, spring 2 rocks arm 2l0 on pivot 233 as an axis to open the circuit, parts 230, 232, 234, 238 remaining in closed circuit position, with stop 242a stopping the arm 2 I. If the button 230 is then pushed down, contactor 2H! will be rocked on relatching stop 243 and relatched but all the parts will. be in open circuit position. Manual switching action may take place thereafter through manipulation of button 230.

Now havin described the switch herein illustrated, reference should be had to the claim which follows.

I claim:

In a switch, the combination oi.an actuated part in the iorm oi a contactor, a push button operatively connected thereto at a point intermediate its ends which is pushed in and then released for each operation, latch means releasably holding one end of the contactor, a stationary contact adapted to be engaged by the other end 01' the contactor, spring means intermediate the ends of the contactor i'or biasing it to move to open circuit position on latch release, the spring means biasing the contactor towards closed circuit position when the latch holds, the latch means being relatched when the push button is pushed in after contactor movement following latch release, a selector mechanism controlled by the push button for operatively connecting the push button to the contactor in such a manner that successive push-in movements of the push button provide successively diiferent ones of two diflferent rest positions 01' the contactor, closed circuit and open circuit, whereby successive identical push-in movements of the push button will cause the contactor to move to and stop in successively different positions, closed circuit and open circuit, respectively, the spring means moving the contactor towards closed circuit position when the latch holds, except as inhibited by the selector having previously defined an open circuit position therefor, and moving the contactor into closed circuit position when the selector is moved to permit such movement of the contactor, and moving the contactor to open circuit position when it is unlatched, the selector mechanism providing. a pivotal support for the contactor during its spring caused movement after latch release, the latch means also providing a pivotal support 101' the contactor during certain of its movements, and a stop for providing a pivot for the contactor during its relatching movement.

ELWOOD T. PLA'IZ. 

